Perhaps one the greatest gift given to us by God is the privilege to pray to Him. Whether our prayer is contemplative (selfless prayer that is focused on listening to God), intercessory (petitioning on behalf of others) or personal (petitioning on behalf of self), developing a prayer life is probably one of the greatest spiritual disciplines we can invest in for ourselves. Prayer entitles us to communicate to the One who gives us our very being. We pray for direction, we pray to hear from God, and we pray to let our requests be known to Him. We also pray to gain spiritual, physical and mental strength. Prayer isn’t something we do every now and then or only when trouble arises. I like that familiar saying, “7 days without prayer makes one weak.” Prayer helps us stay connected to God. Jesus Himself prayed (John 17). He also taught His disciples to pray (Matthew 6:9-13) and admonished them to always pray and not faint (Luke 18:1). Therefore, we must have a persistent prayer life. In the 18th chapter of the book of Luke, Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a persistent widow. Here’s my synopsis of the parable - the widow kept going to a judge seeking justice from her adversary (enemy). The judge didn’t know or respect her God. Initially he would not help her but because of her persistent behavior he granted her request. She demonstrated faith because she knew the judge could help her so she kept asking. Jesus asked the disciples a question...shall not God do likewise for His own children? I say to you, God does indeed hear you and is concern about that which concerns you. So, exercise your privilege to take all your cares to Him and remember that with God all things are possible.

“Father God, in the Name of Jesus, we thank you for the gift of prayer. We thank you that the only expectation you have of us is that we pray. Help us not to compare our prayer style with that of others. It is our desire to seek You and pray according to Your will. We rebuke, in the Name of Jesus, all hindrances that would prevent us from praying to you always. Forgive us for when we failed to pray but knew we should have prayed. We thank you that Your mercy endures forever. Amen”